A New Era
by Dopredo
Summary: Hive succeeds in taking over the world, turning humans into swayed inhumans (Fitz-Simmons are caught in the storm, gaining inhuman powers).


**Dr Radcliffe's experiment works, and Hive takes over the world, turning humans into inhumans.**

'Have you completed the serum?'

Hive looked at Radcliffe through the sunken, but strangely curious, eyes of Ward. He had been pacing for a few hours, due to his frustration at Radcliffe's lack of results.

'Oh… hang on…. Yes! I've got it!' Radcliffe spun around and grinned at Hive, before furrowing his eyebrows and looking back down at his work. 'All I needed to do was isolate the inhuman genetic markers by removing the human ones. This time I'm sure it will work.'

Hive smiled.

'Oh Fitz!' Jemma groaned, rolling her eyes at Fitz. 'When I said to collect samples of willow root, I expected you to _collect_ samples… Not just dump them on the ground. Now you've contaminated them!'

'Jemma. One day you will realise that, by placing a _plant_ sample on the _forest_ ground, it is not contaminated-'

'Yes well it is if you touch it-'

'- I didn't touch it!'

There was silence for a second, and then Simmons giggled.

'Sorry Fitz…' She walked over to him, looking at the ground 'I think I'm just a little disheartened by what happened to Daisy with Hive.'

He smiled at her and then scratched the back of his head.

'Yeah… I think we all are. Perhaps we should all just-'

Suddenly there was a loud explosion from somewhere in the distance, which threw Fitz-Simmons off their feet. There was a few seconds of silence, before Fitz groaned.

'What the hell was that?'

Simmons pushed herself back onto her feet and then sighed.

'Oh what now? Can't we have one bloody moment of slight peace? For goodness sak-'

She was cut off by a strange mix of sounds; in the same moment she could hear the hanger door closing, a scream, and the hiss of gas… Then it went dark.

'Fitz? Fitz!'

'Jemma?'

'Yeah!'

'Jemma where are you?'

'I'm here Fitz… Wait I can see you!' The gas began to clear and she could see his face properly. 'Oh thank goodness you're ok… Do you know what happened?'

He rubbed in between his eyes and looked down.

'No… But I have an idea. I think it's Hive. Perhaps he succeeded, and he was using that gas to turn humans into inhumans…' There was a moment of silence while they looked at each other with a knowing look. 'Oh God… But that would mean…'

' _No_... Fitz, I'm sure it doesn't mean that… We must be wrong…'

'Yeah… We must be wrong 'cos otherwise we would have—'

'Right. Joined the Hive… Exactly.'

They both looked at each other with equally worried expressions, and then spoke in unison:

'Unless we have to see him first.'

'Yeah,' Fitz nodded, 'okay lets find the others.'

Inside of SHIELD there was chaos. After the gas had hit, panic had broken loose everywhere; the base was on lockdown (which meant it had been defended from the attack), and everyone was scared of what had happened to the rest of the world, not to mention that no one could find Fitz-Simmons (which was especially worrying considering they were the only people who could try to counter the effects of the gas).

Suddenly Coulson's COM buzzed, and a voice started to come through.

'Oh thank God- Fitz are you ok? Where are you? Shall we come and get you?'

There was a few-second delay before Fitz responded.

'Well that's the problem Sir… We're outside, and I think we may be infected.'

'The thing is, Fitz I completely understand why it's taking them so long to decide whether or not to let us in.'

'Yes… so do I, but it's still annoying.' Fitz pouted at Jemma, and she threw a handful of grass at him in retaliation. They were sitting on the ground, cross-legged.

'Come on Fitz. Just because we're sitting on the ground like at school, doesn't mean you should start acting like a child.'

'Says the person who just threw grass in my face.' Jemma smiled and then frowned again.

'If they don't let us in, we'll work it out… We could find a place somewhere; buy a little cottage, surrounded by flowers.'

'And have an adorable little monkey called—'

'Oh Fitz, what is it with you and the monkey? Ever since I met you! I swear if- .' Fitz put his finger to his lips and then pointed into the darkening forest.

'There's something out there…' Fitz whispered, moving closer to Simmons.

'Fitz,' she muttered, reaching for his hand, 'I—Ah!' She jerked her hand away quickly. 'What was that?' She looked down at her hand and noticed a slight burn. Fitz had the same thing.

'What is this?' Fitz gasped, beginning to panic. 'Is it me or you?'

'I don't know! Fitz what does this mean?'

They both looked up sharply as they heard the familiar sound of an ICER being fired. The last thing Fitz saw before collapsing was Jemma being carried away.

As Fitz opened his eyes further, his surroundings became more evident. He was in a dungeon. He was in an actual dungeon. _Seriously?_

He got up and started pacing around the small, bizarre room. His first thought was, of course, Simmons. Where was she? If the experiment had worked and they really were inhuman, what threat would she pose? Especially being Daisy's friend. Also, what had happened when she'd touched him? Was it him or her…? Or both of them…?

His thoughts were interrupted when the lock clicked, and the heavy metal door began to groan open. Dr Radcliffe stood in the doorway, smiling.

'Glad to see you're awake Dr Fitz. Are you ready to meet the boss?'

'Urm… No… I… Oh God has Jemma met him? Did she see Hive?'

Radcliffe gave an awkward smile and looked at the ground.

'Yes… Dr Simmons met the boss. I must say she gave us a lot of insight into SHIELD's scientific resources. I don't suppose they'll belong to SHIELD for much longer.'

'Oh Jemma…' Fitz whispered to himself. 'What have you done?' Fitz rubbed his eyes and sighed. 'Alright, fine. But I want to see Jemma first. Once more before I'm brainwashed.'

Radcliffe smiled to himself and then shrugged.

'I suppose, what harm can it do? Come on then.'

Radcliffe led Fitz down a medieval-looking corridor, lined with LEDs. After two left turns (Fitz was keeping track of where he was, just in case) they neared a door similar to his, however inside there was a bed, toilet and heater (seemingly they were being kinder to people who were already under Hive's control). The door was unlocked.

'Fitz! Oh God I'm glad to see you.' Jemma ran up to him, but stopped before touching him. The pain on her face was evident.

'Jemma what did you tell them?'

Jemma looked confused for a second, and then it cleared. She started pacing; doing the face she always did when she was working something out.

Fitz turned back to Radcliffe.

'Please could we have a bit of privacy?'

Radcliffe shrugged again and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Jemma stopped walking. That meant she must have come to a conclusion.

'Fitz… I think I've got it.'

'Got what?'

Jemma walked up to him and briefly placed her hand on his. It burnt like before.

' _Ouch_ , what was that for?'

'It was a test… Or at least part of one. You see, I have a theory-'

'-What theory Jemma? You're just speaking for Hive. I know you saw him, and I know you told him everything.'

'I know I did!' Jemma barked, impatiently and put her head in hands. 'But I don't know why… Fitz, I _was_ under Hive's control. I remember every second of it. So why am I not under it now? The only thing I can think of is that now we're together. Perhaps our inhuman change caused that burny-light thing… Perhaps it made us immune- but only if we're together. Fitz you have to believe me-'

'No, no, no Jemma, that's just the thing! I can't believe anything you tell me. You know me too well; well enough to manipulate me. You know how much I want to believe you. But I won't. Not without proof. And I can get it.' Fitz turned to the door and pulled it open. 'Hey Radcliffe, get in here. I'm ready to see the boss.'

'Fitz what are you doing? If I'm wrong-'

'-Then there's no need to prolong the inevitable.'

Fitz stared into the eyes of the man he had once loathed, and felt his stomach turn to jelly. He hadn't ever expected to feel comfort while looking up at the face of Grant Ward, but he couldn't help himself. Although he never wanted to look away, a guilty part of him shivered at the back of his mind. He knew what was happening, and yet was fully excepting of it. Hive smirked.

'It's nice to finally meet you Dr Fitz. I've heard a lot about you- perhaps too much. There are quite a few memories of you in this old head. Grant knew you quite well. But you didn't get on?'

Fitz grimaced and then bit his fingernail.

'You could say we drifted apart.'

' _Hmm_. I hope that's not going to cause us any problems?'

'Oh, no. No,' Fitz tripped slightly and then straightened himself up, 'I'm completely over that. You know… That was a long time ago and, although I never forgave him… I always… Well actually no… I didn't really… _Urm…_ ' He trailed off, blushing.

'Clearly. Well, despite your differences with Grant, to me you could be quite useful indeed.'

'Oh… Sure, anything you need. Wait, what do you need?'

'I need your brain.'

' _Huh?_ … As in a host?'

' _No_. A brain. Dr Simmons will be your surgeon, if you consent. Or if you don't. Your choice- it doesn't really matter.'

'Jemma would never do that. Not to me. Not ever.' Fitz heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see Jemma in a lab coat.

'Wouldn't I?' She smiled.

Fitz felt as though he'd been paralysed. This was Jemma Simmons, the woman he loved. There was no way she would betray him like this- not even if she was under Hive's sway. She must have a plan.

Jemma walked towards Fitz, and he started to panic. It was strange: the closer she got, the more panicked he felt, but not about Jemma, about Hive. She was only a meter away from him now, and he could feel the last of Hive's control drift away. Jemma was right. When they were together, they were immune.

So that meant she was acting. He was going to have to play along.

'Jemma, don't do this. Please, we're on the same side!'

'Sorry Fitz, but this is necessary. You should be grateful that you get to play such a major part in this revolutionary event. Really it's quite beautiful, if you think about it.'

'Beautiful? It's my brain! That's just… unkind.'

'Like I said, it's _necessary_.'

Necessary. _Necessary._ What did that mean? Fitz searched his brain for answers, but was totally confused. And then it came to him: _Protocol 541._ In the case of an alien invasion it would be necessary to find the centre point of the invasion, and to attack with full force. If that's what Jemma was implying (considering it was a little far-fetched, and he could be grasping at straws) that meant SHIELD was on its way. If they could hold out until then, they may just make it out.

'Well, we'll have to wait a little while. My brain will only be fully functioning, one hour after a semi-concentrated dose of strawberry and apple squash.'

Hive raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

'So, you mean to tell me that one of the top mechanics in the country can't cope, unless his squash is measured out for him like a child.'

'Oh… Yes I forgot about that,' Jemma put her hands on her hips and nodded slightly 'he's very picky- once I gave him Summer Fruits, and he couldn't concentrate for the rest of the day. It caused us a lot of problems.'

Fitz looked into the distance, pretending to be deep in thought.

'Oh, yes I remember that well. Such a waste of brain cells…' He shook his head dramatically.

'Right… Well we want this to run as smoothly as possible,' Hive looked Fitz sternly in the eye, 'but once the hour's up, you had better be in that chair.'

Fitz shuffled uneasily, but then stood up straight and looked Hive in the eyes.

'Don't worry Sir, I will be.'

Hive smiled slightly, before turning to leave.

'Good then, you're both dismissed.'

Fitz and Simmons sat together in silence; both thinking. After a few minutes, Fitz broke the silence.

'What do we do if SHIELD don't get here? Could we run?'

Simmons looked at him and gave him a worried smile.

'I'm not sure, Fitz I think we just have to trust that SHIELD will come. They've never failed us before.'

'Yes, but now we know the… Now we know the _thing_ … Aren't we failing everyone else by not doing it?'

'Perhaps… But only if SHIELD doesn't succeed… And they will… They always do… Right?'

'Well, I hope so… 'Cos otherwise you're gonna be cutting my brain out in… oh about ten minutes. Great!' Fitz exhaled nervously.

'Fitz, don't panic we're just… I'm just going to…. Oh God I'm panicking too! I think-'

Suddenly the fortress doors burst open, and moments later the facility was flooded with armed men and women; among them were the familiar faces of Daisy, Mack, May and Coulson. Within seconds, the fighting had begun and sparks were flying. As usual, Fitz-Simmons felt out-of-place, and stood watching on the side. They watched as Mack ICER-shotgun-axed a tall green woman, and Daisy flung a few guys against the wall. It seemed as though the fight was going in their favour, but there was still a big problem that they hadn't considered: Hive.

As the inhabited corpse of Ward advanced into the crowd, gradually the fighting began to stop, and people turned to look at him. He had a sinister smile on his face, and walked with a terrifying air of confidence.

'Oh God, Jemma something's about to happen.' Fitz whispered.

And then they heard, once again, the subtle hissing of gas.

Fitz and Simmons felt as though they had been frozen, as they watched the cloud of grey gas roll towards their friends. This was it. This was the end. They had been defeated.

As the cloud cleared, their friends became visible again, but they weren't themselves; they weren't in control. Jemma felt a tear roll down her cheek as she watched, one by one, her friends bow down to Hive.

There was only one thing left to do: they were going to have to save the world.

A little while before, Fitz-Simmons had figured out how their Inhuman powers worked. They had worked out that, the closer they got together, the stronger their antitoxin burned, and the further it reached. But it hurt. The closer they got together, the brighter it burned. If they were to touch each other for long enough, the reaction would be so strong that it would take out the two of them with it. But it would be strong enough to cure the world.

That was their choice: their lives, or the freedom of everyone in the world.

'Didn't Lincoln once say that the world strived to create balance through the inhumans? Fitz, perhaps that's what we are… I think they need us… they need both of us together- to create that balance.'

Fitz looked at her, a tear rolling from his eye.

'We were going to build a life together… Have kids; grow old. I suppose now that's just a dream… a dream we'll never get to live.

Jemma, if we're going to do this, I need to tell you something first.' She gave him a watery smile and lent towards him.

'Don't worry Fitz, I know already…'

She kissed him gently on the cheek, and it turned into an embrace. As they placed their hands together, they began to shine; bright, orange light cascaded off of them like a waterfall. Their golden light swirled and glowed, spreading to every corner of the Earth; to all of the people who's minds had been stolen. Finally, it spread to the tyrant himself, and his unearthly body separated into cloud of dust and atoms. Hive was defeated.

Jemma's last thought was of her and Fitz at the bottom of the ocean. As she drifted away, she thought of the First Law of Thermodynamics: perhaps their energy was always meant to be together, and their energy would drift through the universe together, until the end of time. Perhaps every moment of their lives had been leading them here. Leading them to the moment where they would be, for the first time, a single being.


End file.
